Brand Building: How to Make Your Employees Promote the Brand

Most times managers and executives are so focused on external means of promoting the business that they do not realize the potentials they are yet to exploit through their internal human assets. First when you learn to allow your employees promote the company you discover a free and reliable way to let the outside world know about your company and what it does.

Your company can spend millions touting itself as the most customer focused company in your industry but when the customer service personnel does not show that in their daily interactions with prospective and existing users of your products and services your millions over time will be ill spent. The customer service attendant’s call handling and the receptionist’s response will go a long way to make impressions on your users.

To make a conscious strategic effort at developing an employee brand building and promotion strategy is the first step to having a team that understands the importance of the brand and works to project that brand as powerfully as they can.

Create a Company Culture That Will Potentially Help Employees Promote The Brand

Much of how your employees and team members respond to brand building opportunities for your company depends on the culture you create internally. From hiring the right people to inculcating the right values and passion it is important that you and your key team members create th right company culture.
If your team members are proud of the direction the company is going and enjoy their work it will be far easier to get employees using various ingenious means to promote your brand. They will do this more eagerly because they feel it is their responsibility and not because they are compelled to.

Your Consumer/Customer Facing Staff

You should take very serious, the role of those of your team members who interact daily with the customers/users. While your technology team may be engrossed in the code and database building processes it’s your customer service, sales & marketing and business development teams who mostly come in touch with the outside world. And it is the outside world they come in touch with that will shape much of your brand image so it is vital that your team members portray professionalism and passion for what you do every single time.

The Importance of Information

While interviewing a prospective candidate for an administrative position in a company she stressed the importance of information flow in building a trusting and passionate workforce for the company. This goes to show that if you see your team as people who should only know what they need to know about their job duties only it cuts down on the potential loyalty you could have from them. Making your company a place where information flow uninhibited and lower staff can access and push information up the chain of command without unnecessary bottlenecks helps to create a bond that will only help your company’s brand building efforts.

Employees can’t be brand advocates if they don’t understand the brand. Therefore, it’s important to communicate the organization’s brand to employees — both implicitly and explicitly. Key messages about an organization’s brand and its positioning should be integrated into all communication vehicles including the employee newsletter, Intranet, emails, voicemails etc.

Give Employees the Opportunity to Live the Brand

When employees get the understanding of the company’s brand and vision you have to give practical ways they can start becoming brand advocates. Some Yahoo employees allow their cars to be painted in the company colours. If you cannot do that there are hosts of ideas to enable your people live and exhibit the brand. Have your company vehicles branded in your colours and logos so your sales and business development drive around their daily business in them. Do T-shirts and branded items. Allow your team members involved in community development efforts that impact positively in their immediate environment sending out positive ideas about your company.

Recognise Team Members Who Advocate Your Brand

Showing recognition to brand advocates in your team is a sure way to let everyone know how serious the company regards brand advocacy from its employees. Hold quarterly, half yearly or annual employee recognition events to celebrate team members who in one distinguished way or the other portrayed the right image of the company to outsiders.

Finally it is important that you do all you can to make your team members understand the company’s vision and objectives. Create a workplace they will look forward to working in and they will give their best in interacting with your users.

Employees who understand the company and are motivated will engage positively and actively with your customers and the public and spread a vibrant message about your brand.

Advertise your jobs on Ngcareers, Nigeria’s Top Career Site and attract the right candidates from over 200,000 professionals and career individuals